To evaluate the relationship between Sardinian and Spanish viticulture, Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers were
applied to define the genetic profiles of 29 cultivated and 48 wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) accessions. SSR data
confirmed synonymy between ‘Cannonau’ and several Spanish accessions of ‘Garnacha Tinta’. SSR analysis also
suggested that the ‘Garnacha’ group consisted of a heterogeneous pool of cultivars displaying different morphological
and genetic traits (Link coefficient = approx. 0.5), probably caused by somatic mutation or accidental breeding events
between closely-related grapevine accessions. In contrast, the ‘Vernaccia’ - ‘Granaccia’ Sardinian group was different
from ‘Cannonau’ (Link coefficient = 0.8) and all Spanish ‘Garnacha Tinta’ and ‘Blanca’ accessions analysed. To
understand the ‘Cannonau’ - ‘Garnacha’ relationship, we studied the origin of these accessions and their relationships
with spontaneous wild grapevine. Both cultivars are ancient grapes that have been cultivated for many centuries in
both Sardinia and Spain. Although the name ‘Garnacha’ may derive from the Italian word ‘Vernaccia’, molecular
analysis excluded any direct genetic origin of the Spanish ‘Garnacha’, or Sardinian ‘Cannonau’ from the ‘Vernaccia’ -
‘Granaccia’ Sardinian group. Structure analysis split the samples analysed into three clusters (K = 3). The first two
clusters corresponded to the cultivated samples, while the wild accessions were in the third cluster. Based on this
information, we can exclude any direct origin of the ‘Cannonau’ - ‘Garnacha’ group from the wild grapevines analysed
and distributed on Sardinia.